| Archived Lottery News for February, 2003Friday, February 28, 2003 Thursday, February 27, 2003 Wednesday, February 26, 2003 - 5:25 am – There was no jackpot winner in the Tuesday Mega Millions drawing, but 4 lucky players matched the first 5 numbers for a $175,000 prize: 1 in New Jersey, 1 in Massachusetts, 1 in Michigan, and 1 in New York. For the complete rundown of winners by prize category, see the Winning Combinations page.
- Tennessee weighs taxing lottery winnings. Taxing lottery sales and winnings could help the state during tough economic times, some lawmakers say, while others believe the taxes would cut into jackpots and lessen Tennesseans' incentive to play. More: Details may delay start of lottery.
- Day turns into lottery platform. What began as a day for higher education became a platform for the Oklahoma education lottery bill. More:
- Cumberland County Lawmakers Support Lottery. The North Carolina lottery debate is on the table once again in the legislature, and this time it has full support from the lawmakers in one local county.
- Screven County Woman Wins Lotto South Jackpot. Joyce Anne Lewis of Sylvania, Georgia won the $7 million Lotto South jackpot and chose the $3.6 million cash option.
- Lottery machines coming in March. Michigan Lottery officials say they will begin installing at least 200 instant ticket vending machines in selected chain-store locations beginning next month, although specific locations have not been announced.
Tuesday, February 25, 2003 - 6:50 am – Don't forget to check back with us tonight at 11:00 PM Eastern Time for the live $12 million Big Game Mega Millions drawing results!
- Lottery scam ensnaring victims in Reno. A growing number of northern Nevadans are being targeted by a Canadian lottery scam, U.S. Customs Service officials said Monday.
- New PA lottery director says program's deficit targeted. Ed Mahlman, Gov. Ed Rendell's choice as executive director of the Pennsylvania Lottery, said his mission is staying focused on the reason the lottery exists — paying for senior citizen programs.
Monday, February 24, 2003 - 7:05 am – $42 Million Powerball Won By Two Tickets. Powerball paid off big Saturday night for two winning tickets; one sold in Louisiana and one sold in Missouri. The winners will split a $42 million jackpot. Each ticket holder will have 60 days after the ticket is validated to decide if they want the $21 million 29-year annuity or the cash option worth $11.3 million. Thirty-six players correctly matched the 5 white numbers and won $100,000. The tickets were sold in Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut (3), DC (4), Indiana (3), Iowa (2), Louisiana (2), Minnesota (2), Missouri, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Oregon, Pennsylvania (5), Rhode Island (2), South Carolina (5), South Dakota, and Wisconsin. Players purchased more than 15.5 million tickets between Thursday and Saturday night.
- Sinking lottery revenue stymies state. Washington Lottery officials have lowered their revenue projections for this fiscal year, largely because sales for Mega Millions, the state's newest game, have been far lower than expected. More: Mega Millions bringing in less money than forecast.
- Lottery gives $86.8M to public programs, projects. The Arizona Lottery doled out $86.8 million last fiscal year to public programs and projects statewide, according to a detailed accounting of distributions to be shared today with the Arizona Lottery Commission.
Saturday, February 22, 2003 - 7:00 am – There was no jackpot winner in the Friday Mega Millions drawing, but 3 lucky players matched the first 5 numbers for a $175,000 prize: 1 in Massachusetts, 1 in New York, and 1 in Ohio. For the complete rundown of winners by prize category, see the Winning Combinations page.
Friday, February 21, 2003 Thursday, February 20, 2003 Wednesday, February 19, 2003 - 6:25 am – Jackpot Winner! There was one $12 million jackpot winner from Georgia in the Tuesday Mega Millions drawing. More details to follow after the winner comes forward to claim their prize.
- Also, 4 lucky players matched the first 5 numbers for a $175,000 prize: 1 in New Jersey, 1 in Michigan, and 2 in New York. For the complete rundown of winners by prize category, see the Winning Combinations page.
- Top students would be rewarded in new Tenn. lottery proposal. Students who earn a 3.0 grade-point average in high school, score a 19 on the ACT college-entrance exam and maintain a 2.75 GPA in college would qualify for lottery-funded scholarships under a plan a state subcommittee voted to push forward yesterday. More:
- Georgia lottery czar's winning streak. Rebecca Paul, the woman behind the Georgia Lottery's success, Wednesday celebrates her 10th anniversary as the state's lottery czar.
- Poll Shows Passage of OK Lottery Plan Uncertain. A poll of Oklahoma lawmakers shows they're split in their support of asking the people whether they want a lottery.
- Two resolutions support Nevada lottery. Two Nevada lawmakers are hoping their colleagues will gamble on a state-run lottery to help Nevada raise more revenue.
Tuesday, February 18, 2003 - 7:50 am – Don't forget to check back with us tonight at 11:00 PM Eastern Time for the live $12 million Big Game Mega Millions drawing results!
- Senate rerouting of bill could delay lottery. Legislation creating a Tennessee lottery has been rerouted in the state Senate, a move that could delay the lottery and the college scholarships it will produce.
- Henry presses OK House for lottery hearing. Oklahoma Gov. Brad Henry on Monday continued to press for a House hearing on a bill that would call a statewide election on his education lottery. More:
- UK Lotto sales 'lowest ever'. Sales for the weekend's Lotto game were the worst since the UK National Lottery was launched nine years ago, Camelot has announced.
- Powerball winners will get money today. South Dakota lottery officials, including Executive Director Clint Harris, will come to Watertown to present the 34 winners with a $20,009,258 check at a local bank.
Monday, February 17, 2003 - 7:25 am – Powerball Jackpot Grows to $34 Million. The biggest lottery jackpot in the nation is getting bigger. There were no Powerball jackpot winners Saturday but 333,045 players across the nation won a total of more than $2.1 million in prizes in "America's Game." Because no one correctly matched all six numbers in Saturday's drawing the jackpot will grow to an estimated $34 million, with a cash option of $18.7 million. Three lucky players from Arizona, Connecticut, and Kansas correctly matched the first 5 numbers and won $100,000. Players purchased more than 14 million tickets between Thursday and Saturday night.
- If you win lottery, take lump sum and invest. A Q&A format that extols the virtues of taking a lump sum payment rather than the annuity.
- Lottery jackpot winner couldn't afford to collect winnings. A Romanian teenager who won the lottery jackpot couldn't collect his winnings for two weeks because he couldn't afford the train fare.
- Wisconsin has new lottery game. The Wisconsin Lottery is unveiling Badger 5 today, with a daily jackpot that will roll over every time it isn't won.
- Former store clerk charged with stealing lottery tickets. A store clerk accused of stealing lottery tickets and money from a convenience store in Bluff Siding, Wis., has been charged with felony theft.
- Lowering lottery GPA could push cost over $200M. Lowering eligibility standards for Tennessee lottery scholarships from a 3.0 grade point average to a 2.5 would cost the state $248 million to $272 million in the program's first year, a Tennessee Higher Education Commission official said.
- Two lottery drawings just one number apart. It will only happen once in 48,696 drawings, but it happened this week at the Oregon State Lottery. On Monday, the winning lottery Megabucks ticket was 3-6-14-24-26-28. On Wednesday, it was 3-6-14-22-26-28.
- House OKs 18-year-olds playing the lottery. North Dakota's 18-year-olds should be allowed to play the lottery, the state House decided Thursday as lawmakers approved new rules for the anticipated beginning of the Powerball game.
- Lottery question may face long odds at state Capitol. To win support for a state lottery, Oklahoma Gov. Brad Henry and other lottery supporters must persuade an apprehensive Legislature to call an election.
- Don't fall victim to a sweepstakes scam. Last year, phony sweepstakes cost unsuspecting victims more than $200 million.
Saturday, February 15, 2003 - 7:20 am – There was no jackpot winner in the Friday Mega Millions drawing, but 6 lucky players matched the first 5 numbers for a $175,000 prize: 2 in New Jersey, 1 in Maryland, 1 in New York, 1 in Virginia, and 1 in Washington. For the complete rundown of winners by prize category, see the Winning Combinations page.
Friday, February 14, 2003 - 7:15 am – Don't forget to check back with us tonight at 11:00 PM Eastern Time for the live $10 million Big Game Mega Millions drawing results!
- Mega-Shy $128M Winner is Waiting. New York's latest Mega-Millions winner has come forward to state lottery officials - but the winner's name will remain a secret until next week.
- Possibility of conflict arises over scholarship eligibility standards. Legislative lottery sponsors said Thursday they want to keep eligibility standards for Tennessee lottery scholarships as high as possible, setting up a potential conflict with the Black Legislative Caucus. More: Dispute over GPA embroils Tenn. lottery.
- Votes not yet counted on OK lottery bill. Democratic leaders in the Oklahoma House do not know if they have enough votes to pass a lottery bill supported by Gov. Brad Henry, the House's second ranking Democrat said Thursday.
- Could The Lottery Save Arkansas' Education System?. How can Arkansas' public schools be funded equally, to give all kids a better education? As state lawmakers look for a way, some people suggest an old idea, a state lottery, to find the answer.
- Poll finds support for Nevada lottery. Nevada residents overwhelmingly favor the creation of a lottery to generate revenue for the state, a recent poll shows, but potential players won't be able to pick numbers for at least 4 1/2 years.
- VT House backs Powerball. Vermont House members endorsed expanding the state lottery to include a multistate, big jackpot game Thursday.
- Ohio couple hits $14M Lotto. For Stephen and Susan Branch, it's the sweetest gift ever for Valentine's Day, as they won the $14 million prize in Wednesday night's Ohio Super Lotto Plus drawing.
Thursday, February 13, 2003 - 6:40 am – Mega win mystery in B'klyn. Brooklyn was buzzing yesterday with news that a winning $128 million Mega Millions ticket was bought at a Brighton Beach shop, but the winner was keeping a low profile.
- Oregon Lottery executive who came under fire resigns. Lee Moore, the Oregon Lottery deputy director who signed off on many expenses criticized by auditors, resigned Tuesday. Moore had been on paid administrative leave since Jan. 7.
- OK House Committee Passes Lottery Bill. An Oklahoma lottery plan was approved by a legislative committee today after Governor Henry urged lawmakers to pass it.
- Credit card lottery buys not option. It will take cold, hard cash to buy a lottery ticket in a Tennessee retail outlet.
- N.C. Lottery bill filed in House. Voters would have their say on whether North Carolina should operate a lottery for education in a bill filed Wednesday in the state House.
- Valley residents split over afternoon lottery drawings. The Pennsylvania Lottery's new format of drawing two daily numbers a day debuted to mixed reviews Tuesday around the Mid-Mon Valley.
- Lotto winner to share the wealth. On Monday, Ernest W. Jervis, 74, of Vero Beach, claimed the $35 million prize from Saturday night's Florida Lotto drawing but he will not be the only one sharing in the wealth.
- Hitting the jackpot. Jack and Bev Kasdorf of Estelline are members of the "Watertown 34," the first Powerball jackpot winners in South Dakota's history. Nine days ago, their lives got turned upside down.
Wednesday, February 12, 2003 - 3:00 am – One $125 Million Jackpot Winner! There was one $125 million jackpot winner from New York in the Tuesday Mega Millions drawing. More details to follow after the winner comes forward to claim their prize.
- Also, 23 lucky players matched the first 5 numbers for a $175,000 prize: 1 in New Jersey, 1 in Georgia, 10 in Maryland, 2 in Michigan, 5 in New York, 2 in Ohio, 1 in Virginia, and 1 in Massachusetts. For the complete rundown of winners by prize category, see the Winning Combinations page.
Tuesday, February 11, 2003 Monday, February 10, 2003 - 2:00 pm – Thanks for helping us achieve Level 2 of the 2003 Diamond Web Awards! We still need a lot more votes to reach our goal of Level 5, and you can help us by voting each day. Your vote will only take a few seconds, it's free, and it requires no registration. Thanks for your support!
- 6:10 am – Middle ground sought on Tenn. lottery oversight panel. Gov. Phil Bredesen says he is ready to compromise on who gets to appoint the seven proposed directors of the corporation that will run the Tennessee lottery, but Sen. Steve Cohen appears to be locked into his plan for legislative leaders to pick six of the seven. More: Lottery squabble escalates.
- PA Lottery will double its daily drawings. Starting Tuesday, the state will add 1:35 p.m. drawings for the Daily Number and Big 4 games as part of its offensive to boost ticket sales.
- One ticket wins $35 million Florida Lotto. One ticket matched all six Florida Lotto numbers to win a jackpot of $35 million, lottery officials said Sunday. More: $35 million ticket sold in Fort Pierce.
- One ticket matches winning numbers in California 'SuperLotto Plus' game. One of the tickets sold for the California Lottery's "SuperLotto Plus" game Saturday night matched all six numbers drawn, for a $10 million jackpot.
- Texas lottery winner celebrates lucky lunch. Last month, Rosalie Perkov walked into a Grand Prairie grocery store to have lunch with some old friends. She walked out with quite a meal ticket. While in the store, the 73-year-old Arlington resident bought five Lotto Texas tickets, and the first set of six numbers ended up being worth $16.2 million before taxes.
- Court sides with woman convicted of conning lottery winner. The Alabama state Supreme Court has ruled in favor of a woman convicted of swindling thousands of dollars from a school maintenance worker after he won a $14 million Florida lottery jackpot.
Saturday, February 8, 2003 - 6:45 am – There was no jackpot winner in the Friday Mega Millions drawing, making the new jackpot $125 million! 14 lucky players matched the first 5 numbers for a $175,000 prize: 1 in New Jersey, 2 in Georgia, 1 in Illinois, 1 in Massachusetts, 1 in Michigan, 5 in New York, 2 in Ohio, and 1 in Virginia. For the complete rundown of winners by prize category, see the Winning Combinations page.
Friday, February 7, 2003 Thursday, February 6, 2003 Wednesday, February 5, 2003 - 1:50 pm – Vote for BigGameLottery.com! If you enjoy our site, please show your support by clicking on the Diamond Web Awards graphic on the left side of this page and registering your vote. It's free, doesn't require any registration, and will only take a moment. If you continue to enjoy our site, you can help us even more by voting once a day. Thanks for your support!
- 5:05 am – There was no jackpot winner in the Tuesday Mega Millions drawing, making the new jackpot $105 million! 19 lucky players matched the first 5 numbers for a $175,000 prize: 2 in New Jersey, 3 in Georgia, 3 in Illinois, 1 in Massachusetts, 1 in Michigan, 8 in New York, and 1 in Virginia. For the complete rundown of winners by prize category, see the Winning Combinations page.
- Fort Pierce Man Claims Fourth Share of $100 Million Florida Lotto Jackpot. A Fort Pierce man on Tuesday became the fourth and final winner to claim his share of the estimated $100 million Florida Lotto jackpot from the Dec. 14, 2002 drawing. The other winning tickets from that drawing - sold in Jacksonville, Marco Island and Bonifay (Holmes Co) - all have been claimed.
- Lawmakers vow quick action on lottery. Oklahoma's legislative leaders responded to Gov. Brad Henry's State of the State address Monday by pledging quick action on a proposal to call a statewide lottery election.
- N.J. commission to study plan for video lottery terminals. The former governor who brought casino gambling to New Jersey will head a commission formed to consider allowing video lottery terminals throughout the state.
Tuesday, February 4, 2003 - 6:20 am – Don't forget to check back with us tonight at 11:00 PM Eastern Time for the live $90 million Big Game Mega Millions drawing results!
- Indiana Powerball Winner Steps Forward. Rondal Eaton and his fiance, Roberta Claunch, showed up at the lottery office downtown before it opened this morning anticipating a check for more than $50 million. Eaton said he bought five tickets for Saturday's Powerball drawing and picked all the numbers himself. More:
- Other half of Powerball jackpot claimed in South Dakota. Thirty-three plant workers from Watertown, South Dakota, along with the husband of one, have claimed the winning ticket to half of Saturday's $101 million Powerball jackpot. More: Jackpot-winning Powerball ticket claimed in South Dakota.
- Real California Jackpot Winner Comes Forward. Guillermo Sanchez of Vallejo, the real winner of Friday's $85 million California Super Lotto Plus jackpot, came forward Monday to meet with reporters and express disbelief with his good fortune. More:
- Georgia Woman Claims Lottery Jackpot. A Marietta woman came forward Monday to claim the $22 million Lotto South jackpot.
- Texas Lotto winner claims prize. On Monday, Victor Delgadillo and his family made the trip to the Texas Lottery Commission headquarters in Austin to claim their share of the $53 million Lotto Texas jackpot from the drawing on Jan. 22.
- Henry: We need a lottery. In the face of the worst budget shortfall in state history, Oklahoma Gov. Brad Henry Monday vowed to protect education by starting a lottery in the state.
- VA Lottery adds winning option through March. The Virginia Lottery has added a Bonus Ball to its Pick 3 and Pick 4 games, temporarily giving players a chance to win additional prize money.
Monday, February 3, 2003 - 6:35 am – $101.8 million Powerball jackpot won by two tickets. Powerball paid off big Saturday night for two winning tickets; one sold in Indiana and one sold in South Dakota. Each ticket holder will have 60 days to decide if they want the $50.9 million annuity or the cash option worth $27.4 million. More:
- Woman says she lost $85 million lottery ticket. A 44-year-old Costco employee says she won $85 million in the California Lottery, but now she's misplaced the ticket. More:
- National companies to vie for piece of lottery pie. It's high noon at the O.K. Corral for companies wanting a piece of the action when Tennessee implements a lottery. More: Gaming companies line up to compete for lottery.
- Millions in lottery winnings going unclaimed. Jimmy White, spokesman for the Maryland lottery, said that as much as $10 million in prize money from all Maryland lottery tickets, including scratch-off tickets and Mega Millions tickets, goes unclaimed every year.
- Oregon lottery gets new policies, leader. Oregon State Lottery commissioners and the governor took significant steps Friday to rein in an agency accused of wasting hundreds of thousands of public dollars. More: Kulongoski names lottery director.
- Officials Move To Change Texas Lotto. Texas Lottery officials moved a step closer to making it harder to win a Lotto jackpot in an effort to increase prizes and ticket sales. More: Bet on a whole Lotto change.
- Lottery debate getting intense. With debate intensifying over how to spend the money, lawmakers may split Tennessee's lottery legislation into two parts, according to the measure's Senate and House sponsors.
- N.D. lottery critics seek tougher rules. Opponents of a North Dakota lottery asked Wednesday for tough limits on the game, including advertising restrictions and a minimum age of 21 to buy or sell tickets.
- Name game: Bring on the blame for lottery titles that are lame, tame. State lottery officials across the country, looking to tap a fast-growing market, now offer scores and scores of scratch-card games with a variety of names.
- N.C. lottery supporters will push issue again. A top North Carolina lottery supporter said he'll file a new lottery bill when the General Assembly returns to work this month but it's unclear whether the lottery will attract much support this year.
Saturday, February 1, 2003 - 5:25 am – There was no jackpot winner in the Friday drawing, but 15 lucky players matched the first 5 numbers for a $175,000 prize: 2 in New Jersey, 2 in Illinois, 1 in Massachusetts, 7 in New York, 1 in Ohio, 1 in Virginia, and 1 in Washington. For the complete rundown of winners by prize category, see the Winning Combinations page.
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